Cloud's heart
by LadyTeefStrife
Summary: A journey into Cloud's heart and mind while the team travels around the planet. Set in-game timeline. This story is about the love triangle and it's too long to explain here, please, read the full sumary inside. Checked by 6jrz422.
1. Searching and Finding

**A/N**: Welcome to my Clerith project. This fanfic will be a test of how much I can endure said pairing and the final step of the treatment to my Clerith/Aerith-phobia. If you are a Cloti shipper, don't worry, this story will end as a Cloti. But remember that this will be a -strange- 'love triangle'. This is a strange 'what if' and works on the 'memories' theory, which says that Aerith only liked Cloud because he reminded her of Zack and she never loved the real Cloud, so Zerith is involved too.

This first chapter is the prologue and it shows the timeline and Cloud's 'problem'. I'd be very glad to have some partners in this journey into Cloud's mind and heart, so I welcome all of you who have been brave enough to stay even if the first thing I mentioned was the Clerith. You all know I'm a diehard Cloti, so I'll probably suffer more with this than any of you. But I want to test myself, and as I said, this will end as a Cloti and Zerith, but for now, it's a Clerith. I'll warn you when the Cloti starts in case some Clerith shipper reads this.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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**Title**: Searching and finding.

Punch, kick, jump, punch, turn around, duck, kick, monster defeated. Not that the poor thing had much of an opportunity against the combined efforts of Tifa, Cloud, and Aerith. The thing had been cut and bleeding from the beginning thanks to one of Cloud's quick slashes.

Tifa looked at herself while taking several deep breaths. She was a mess. Her clothes where tattered, her hair was tangled and her skin was sticky and covered by dried blood. She looked around and saw she was alone.

Where was her team?

Cloud had been there, she was sure. He had been the one to make the first attack. And Aerith was the one who had closed her wounds with her limit break when the monster had charged at Tifa, but now neither of them where in sight. She kept looking around and spotted familiar mountains.

Mount Nibel was at her back, they had been running since they saw Sephiroth in the basement of the Shinra Mansion and had discovered Vincent. The emotional weight of returning to Nibelheim had been quickly forgotten when the madman had appeared before them and the monsters had begun to follow the team. They had been too busy keeping themselves alive to worry about memories of the past or burning towns.

Tifa turned her head from the mountain and looked before her. There, at the far end seemed to be a city with a rocket station, and to the left and right, what seemed to be an endless forest. Maybe Cloud and Aerith had made it out of the woods already?

She started to walk towards the city in front of her. Her muscles were sore and the area from her right hip to waist stung. When she looked, she saw an awful gash there. It wasn't deep, but it was long and was bleeding pretty bad, and since the one carrying the cure materia was Aerith, the only thing she could do for the moment was keep walking and press her hands against the wound.

Suddenly, Tifa heard someone saying Cloud's name. She looked around and spotted a patch of pink clothing on the floor. She picked it up and recognized it as a piece of Aerith's dress. Maybe the monster had attacked her and it had ripped a part of the skirt of her dress? Then, the calling turned again. That was... Aerith's voice?

Tifa pressed the cloth against her side. At least it would help to stop the blood until she could reach the flower girl. She heard a scream. Tifa tried to identify the direction from where the voice had sounded and walked towards it.

That was when she found her team again.

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Cloud slashed at the beast and fell back, leaving the offensive to Tifa. He could see the fatigue in her movements, but he wasn't in much better shape himself. He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing, but it wasn't any use. Just when he was about to drop to one knee to catch his breath, a warm tingling feeling washed over him, helping him regain his strength again. Cloud looked to his left and saw Aerith smiling at him.

He looked ahead and saw that Tifa was still punching and kicking the fiend, seemingly recovered and perfectly fine. He looked at the enemy and saw it bleeding through the cuts he had managed to cause in his first attack. Between that and Tifa's attacks, the thing wouldn't be alive much longer. Just when he was about to strap his sword onto his back again, another monster appeared behind them and attacked Aerith, only succeeding in tearing part of her dress thanks to Cloud's quick reflexes. He pushed Aerith aside and used the momentum to cut the monster in half with one smooth swing of the massive Buster Sword.

Cloud let go of the sword and wrapped both arms around the girl. They both fell to the floor, Aerith on top of Cloud while he made sure she was okay by using his body as a mattress for her fall. The pair laid there assessing any damage from their fall. When their attention returned to Tifa and the persistent fiend, they saw the girl deliver the last few punches to finish off the monster and they breathed deeply. It seemed it was over.

Cloud got up and picked up his sword, strapping it onto his back before picking up Aerith' staff and giving it back to her before picking her up in his arms. The damned monster had taken them by surprise and had cut Aerith on her leg before he could kill it. He knew Aerith wouldn't be able to walk with that cut. It wasn't deep, but the pain it would cause if she moved her leg... it would make her fall to her knees if she tried to put any weight on it.

He looked around, searching for a calm place to be able to inspect her wound. While he looked around, he saw Tifa catching her breath, but otherwise she looked fine from where he was, so he decided to leave her there and take care of more urgent matters. Cloud carried Aerith to a little clearing amongst the trees.

While they were walking, Cloud stepped on the tattered fabric of Aerith's dress and ripped a part of it which fell to the floor. After muttering an apology and receiving a smile and an 'it's okay' as a response, he kept walking until he reached his destination.

Cloud laid Aerith down gently on the grass and sat in front of her, inspecting the wound. As he already knew, the cut was superficial and a quick cure spell did the trick. But when the wound was healed, he looked around and his heart stopped for a second.

Where was Tifa?

Had he... just left her there? Alone and tired from such a long battle?

Now that Aerith was okay, he felt something screaming at him, something that had been blocked while Aerith was in danger. What if another monster attacked Tifa? How could he think a simple scratch on Aerith's leg was more important than an exhausted and bruised Tifa? Aerith would have been just fine if he had left her alone. She could have healed herself. But Tifa was alone and she didn't even had any cure materia.

Just when he was about to get up and go search for her, a high-pitched noise made him close his eyes in pain. It seemed to come from his own brain, like all of those times when he tried to remember something about his past or when he got too close to Jenova. His hands rose to his ears, trying to block the sound while his body fell forward on top of the flower girl. He kept his eyes closed, the piercing sound in his mind muffled Aerith's worried voice. He tried to block out the noise, tried to get a hold of reality, but nothing worked.

When he opened his eyes, the sound stopped.

But he couldn't control his own body. He no longer controlled his own brain. He was no longer in front of Aerith, even though he could see her face right in front of him, he was inside his own brain, reliving the nightmares of his past.

And he screamed.

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**A/N**: End of chapter 1. The next chapter will be Aerith's point of view of what happened and we'll know what Tifa saw when she found the team.

Thanks for reading, and reviews will be very much appreciated. I'll need some support/cheers/encouragement to get this story finished.


	2. Healing Wind

**A/N**: Clerith ahead!  
This chapter has been difficult... Keeping Aerith in character while making her worry about Tifa is really hard. This has an explanation; Aerith doesn't care much about Tifa when Cloud is near. Clerith fans, don't kill me yet. This is proven when you're in Corneo's. If Tifa is the girl chosen you have to rescue Aerith. If you say to her that you still have to rescue Tifa instead of asking her if she's alright, Aerith will get mad at you and you'll lose date points for her. But conversely, if you tell Tifa you have to rescue Aerith, she will say "Hey, don't you even care about how I am? … never mind, let's go!" but she'll approve and you will gain date points for Tifa.

Conclusion of this speech: Tifa cares, Aerith doesn't. But I understand and I don't criticize Aerith for it. Besides, this is ingame Aerith we're talking about. She's different in the movie and in Crisis Core.

Tifa is chosen for Corneo, Cloud talks with Aerith:  
"You all right?" +3 Aerith  
"We gotta help Tifa!" -2 Aerith (Aerith is jealous)

Aerith is chosen for Corneo, Cloud talks with Tifa:  
"You all right?" -2 Tifa  
"We've gotta help Aerith!!" +3 Tifa (As I said, Tifa cares)

As I said, it's hard to keep Aerith in character and making her worry about Tifa at the same time. **Disclaimer: LadyTeefStrife doesn't own anything.** And sorry about this terribly long A/N.

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**Title**: Healing Wind

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Aerith looked at her companions with a frown on her face. Cloud and Tifa had been acting strange since their arrival in Nibelheim, but every time she asked they just dismissed the question with an 'I'm okay' or simply avoided it.

They didn't have a lot of time to waste either, since Sephiroth had appeared and Vincent had joined the party, monsters had been popping out of the blue and chasing them, so they had been too busy fighting and running to stop to talk about the strange attitudes of the two childhood friends.

Just when Aerith thought they could setup camp and have a little chat, another battle started. Thanks to Cloud's quick reflexes, he had managed to cut the fiend early on and now it was being trashed by Tifa's powerful punches. Aerith risked a glance to her right and saw Cloud trying to catch his breath, all the running and fighting was taking a toll on them. She saw how the martial artist's moves were getting slower and the swordsman's uneven breaths got quicker by the second.

Aerith tried to focus her energy on the materia equipped in her staff, she didn't have enough strength to cast cure on both of them, and the 'all' materia was equipped on Cloud' sword. Aerith turned her eyes to the blond, and saw him close his eyes for a second, still trying to control his breathing. She looked ahead again and saw the monster cut Tifa on her side with its claws.

Seeing her team in that state awoke something inside of Aerith. Her hidden powers awoke and with a twirl of her Fairy Tale, she felt a pleasant tingling sensation run through her body and concentrate upon her hands. The chestnut-haired girl focused her new found power on her hands and transferred it to her staff. A rush of wind flew around her and she opened her eyes. In front of her, she saw Tifa's movements get faster and the cut on her side grow smaller.

She had done it. It was the first time she had been able to use her 'limit break' as Cloud called it. Her grip on Fairy Tale tightened. She was proud and happy. The rest of her companions had been able to unleash that hidden strength long ago, when they had been in danger, the sudden rush of adrenaline had caused them to be able to cross the edge and unleash their limit breaks, but since Aerith had always been protected by her comrades, she had never been in real danger and she couldn't release her powers. But seeing her friends in pain had finally set her over the edge.

Aerith looked to her right with a small smile on her face. Cloud was okay too, he was standing and his breathing was calming down again. Her smile widened. Not only had she been able to use her limit break, that power had helped her friends! Suddenly, a noise behind her made her turn around. A monster had snuck up on them.

The next instant, Cloud was running towards her and getting her out of the fiend's way. She closed her eyes expecting the impact and her weapon fell to the floor when she put her hands before her. Aerith felt something cut on her leg, but the small pain was forgotten when she heard the monster's final cry followed by the sound of Cloud's sword hitting the ground and the feel of his arms around her. Even when they hit the floor, his arms stayed around her, pressing her tightly against him.

She looked up at him from her position on his chest. His face was contorted in worry and anger, he was asking her if she was okay while cursing at the now dead monster. Aerith stared at his face. It was the first time she had seen so much expression there...

The flower girl looked at his eyes, expecting the same gaze as always, his lost and distant eyes, seeing right through her. But this time, when she locked her gaze with his, what she saw there was something mixed, confused. More importantly, she saw him really _looking_ at her for the first time. She couldn't hold back the gasp when she saw the mako-green of his eyes swirl and his gaze focused on her. _Only_ her.

Aerith put her hands on the floor at either side of him and reared back, his intense gaze startling her and making her feel uncomfortable and confused. The last time someone had looked at her like that... Well, it was a long time ago, there was no need to remember that.

She reared further back until she was kneeling in front of him while he just stared at her. Aerith turned her attention to her female friend, Tifa made the final strike to finish the fiend in front of her and Aerith let out a deep breath, sat with her knees raised, and closed her eyes. It was finally over.

The flower girl opened her eyes again when she heard Cloud shift. He got up and after strapping his sword onto his back again, he picked up her Fairy Tale and handed it back to her. She grasped it tightly in remorse. She should have at least _tried_ to do something... She had just closed her eyes and dropped her weapon instead of fighting while Tifa had defeated a monster twice her size alone! But... she wasn't a martial artist. Her only talent in battle was to cast spells using her materia. She couldn't have done anything else, could she?

Her thoughts were stopped when she felt something strong and warm sneak under her raised knees and around her back. Aerith looked to her left and looked at Cloud while he lifted her and carried her bridal-style in his arms.

"C-Cloud?" The flower girl tried to make sense of the situation, but he just looked around and didn't seem to hear her. His face still showed worry and her brows furrowed. The only pain she felt was a light sting on her leg... She looked at herself and saw that the fabric of her dress had a cut and part of it was trailing down and dragging on the floor. It wasn't any problem, her dress was long enough and that strip had just uncovered part of her injured leg. She dismissed the tattered fabric -she already had planned to go shopping in the next town- and examined her wound. It wasn't very deep. In fact, it was just a scratch and it wasn't even bleeding anymore. "Cloud, I'm fine. I can walk."

Again he didn't seem to hear her. "Cloud?" She stared at him but he was still looking around. Aerith looked too and spotted Tifa. "We should go help her, her side seems to be bleeding." When she said the last word, Cloud looked down at her leg and abruptly turned around, walking towards a little clearing amongst the trees. The green-eyed girl tried to look over Cloud's shoulder to check if Tifa was following them, but his body blocked her view.

A sudden pull at her skirt and the sound of cloth being ripped apart told her that Cloud had stepped on the tattered fabric.

"... Sorry." Cloud's voice startled her, but when she saw the apologetic look on his face, she smiled at him.

"It's okay." Now her dress left her right leg exposed from mid-thigh to shin where her boot started, but it wasn't too revealing, so she didn't mind too much. She liked that dress though... She almost pouted at the thought of having to buy a different dress.

Aerith lifted her eyes from her now ripped dress and looked around. She didn't see or hear Tifa. "Where's Tifa?" She asked Cloud, but as before, he didn't hear her and her eyes narrowed. She repressed the sudden urge to smack him upside the head with her staff but instead snuck an arm around his shoulders to help lift herself up and look behind them. Nope, no Tifa.

She was sure Tifa was injured despite having cured her with her recently discovered Healing Wind. The limit break had just closed her wound a little and made her regain some strength, so she would probably still be tired and bleeding, and that combination -plus being alone in the middle of the forest- wasn't good.

Aerith felt Cloud drop to his knees slowly and lay her on the grass gently, then he moved in front of her and stared at her wounded leg.

"It's okay, Cloud. I can heal it myself." Aerith put her staff between Cloud and her and started to gather the energy to cast a cure spell on herself, but Cloud took the weapon from her hands and tossed it away after taking the cure materia from it. He equipped it on his shoulder plate and put a hand on her leg, keeping it steady while the spell flooded from his arm, down to his hand, and into Aerith.

The flower girl felt a rush of blood creep up her cheeks and gave thanks that her hairstyle could keep her blush hidden from Cloud's eyes. She was used to being the one teasing and crossing the safe bubble of personal space, but now that Cloud was the one touching her and not the other way around, she felt shy and awkward, like a teenager in front of her crush. It had been five years since the last time she felt something like that, and after the shock, Aerith welcomed the rediscovered sensation. It made her feel special but normal at the same time... It was really nice.

After the warm tingling sensation left her body and the cut was completely healed, Cloud suddenly grew stiff. She looked at him and saw that his face wasn't worried anymore, in fact no emotion was there. His face was blank and his eyes hid mixed feelings and confusion again. The green flickered again and he closed his eyes tightly.

"Cloud?" Aerith leaned forward from her sitting position and tried to touch him, but stopped when his hands rose to cover his ears. He seemed to be in pain, his body taut and slightly shaking. "Cloud!" What was wrong with him!?

Cloud's body slumped against her, making her fall backwards onto the grass with him atop of her. "Cloud! What's wrong!?" She tried to lift him from her, he wasn't very heavy, but she was worried about him and she wouldn't be able to do anything with him pinning her on the floor.

His face hovering over hers and his eyes opened. Aerith looked into them, still calling his name and trying to bring him back from his daze, but stopped when she looked more closely into his eyes. They were blue. _Only_ blue. They were so beautiful... deep and expressive, Aerith could see all the emotions swirling in his deep-blue pools, even if she couldn't read them. Her hands fell to each side of her head.

He muttered something and his eyes grew wild darting from side to side, gazing on hers for a second before locking at her lips for another moment and darting to another place, suddenly looking through her once again, seeing something in his mind's eye she could obviously not.

And then his hands where on each side of her head, barely touching hers, supporting his body above her and his eyes grew wide before a scream broke from his throat.

Aerith closed her eyes and tried to cover her ears with her hands to block the loud sound, but then Cloud's scream stopped and he took her wrists in his hands, pinning them in place.

"Open your eyes."

Cloud's voice was emotionless and low, barely audible. Aerith complied and opened her eyes, studying his expression. He seemed calm again, but his eyes were still looking through her and the mako-green ring had returned.

"Cloud? Are you okay?" He didn't answer. Instead, he closed the distance between their faces until he was touching her forehead with his own, and his warm breath hovered over her slightly parted lips. She didn't know what to do. Sure, Aerith had been teasing and flirting with him, but she didn't expect him to snap like this!

"Say my name." Instead of kissing her, he let his lips brush hers with every word, just letting her sample the softness of it. "I have a name, say it."

"... Cloud." She replied. She could feel his body against hers, his mako-powered body was warmer than she expected, and his body warmth seeped through his clothes and caressed her skin, making it tingle where it reached.

"Say it again."

This time, Aerith refused and his grip on her wrists tightened. He was applying more pressure than needed, but he seemed careful to not hurt her. She didn't know what was happening with him, but what she did know, was that if he really wanted to kiss her, she wouldn't let it be like this, pinned on the ground in a forest in the middle of nowhere.

She turned her head slowly and he lowered his, and Aerith closed her eyes and repressed a shudder when his lips brushed against her neck. When she opened her eyes again and her vision focused, she felt a lump raise to her throat and something inside her clench painfully tight at the sight. "... Tifa?"

The girl fell on her knees, staring at them with wide eyes. A trail of blood down her side and to the floor was forming a small pool there, but she didn't seem to notice. Her face was pale and she was shaking slightly. Her hands, resting in her lap, were clenching a cloth which Aerith recognized as the part of her dress that had been ripped before, but now it was more red than pink.

"... Cloud... ?" Tifa's voice was so weak, that Aerith couldn't believe the sound had come from her usually strong and cheerful friend.

Aerith felt Cloud's head draw back from its former position in the crook of her neck quickly, but then he slowly turned to look at the shocked girl. When his eyes fell upon her, he stood frozen for a long moment, his body taut, before he reared back from Aerith completely, averting his eyes from Tifa and looking at Aerith the whole time, and sat on the floor as if nothing had happened.

"Since Tifa finished off the monster, we could setup camp here, but the next town is close and resting in an Inn will be more secure than here. I'm sure you two would prefer to sleep on beds than in the bedrolls after such a long day too, so we should start moving so we can get there before nightfall." He got up and looked at the girls, which were staring at him. He turned his eyes to Tifa and his eyes furrowed while he ran to her. "What... how did that happen?" He crouched at her side and put his hands on her shoulders, making her lie on her back gently despite the girl's weak protests. He held her still. "We have to heal that wound now." He said with a firm tone. Cloud looked over his shoulder. "Aerith, give me your cure materia."

Aerith stared at him, rooted in place. What just happened? This didn't make any sense! And Tifa... she had seen them... She was lost in her racing thoughts, but Cloud's voice brought her back to reality. "Aerith! I need that materia now!"

After a moment, she nodded and reached for her staff and saw that the materia was gone. She panicked. Where could- She started to search around frantically. Tifa needed that materia, she had already lost lots of blood... Then Aerith remembered. "Cloud, you have it on your shoulder guard!" She said hurriedly.

Cloud's brows furrowed. He was sure Aerith had the materia. He always remembered who had- He looked at his shoulder and saw the green sphere there. How... ?

He shook his head and dismissed it. At least he could heal Tifa now. He put his hand on her side and focused on the spell.

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**A/N**: Okay. This one was tough for me... I need tons of Cloti fluff right now.

Well, what do you think? It's the Clerith okay? Are they in character? Now it's time to review and tell me what's on your mind. ;)  
Next chapter; Rocket Town, Cid, and if I can, more Clerith.

I feel so bad right now... T.T


	3. Red and Green

**A/N**: Chapter 3, very slight Cloti, just a reminiscence of Cloud's childhood crush on Tifa. Cloti fans (me included) can have their happy dance there.

I recommend reading the first chapter before reading this one, this is Cloud's point of view since the end of chapter one.

Now I introduce the anchor and the knight theories.

The 'anchor' theory says that Cloud and Tifa said each other's name so many times because it was Cloud's anchor to himself, the only thing he had that reminded him who he was. Note that this only works between Cloud and Tifa.

The 'knight' theory says that Cloud felt accomplished when he was near Aerith because he could protect her. He had found his 'damsel in distress', not knowing that the one who needed to be saved was Tifa.

By the way... remember when I said that in this chapter we would see "Rocket Town, Cid, and if I can, more Clerith." yeah... not going to happen. That's for the next chapter. This one ended up being too long, sorry.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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**Title**: Red and Green.

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_And he screamed_

Fire, pain, a sword running through his body, and her body. A shadow in the corner of his eye, someone talking to him and asking him to do something. Red, in the blood, in... her eyes. The feel of her warm skin through his glove as he brushed her hair away from her face, she was alive, but she wouldn't be for much longer. But he smiled at her, because she was conscious, she said he kept his promise... but she was bleeding. Red everywhere, but he wasn't scared. Not with her by his side. He could be strong for her, he would have the courage for her. He had promised her.

He remembered the red in her eyes, and how no one believed him when he said she had crimson eyes hidden in that normal brown. He remembered the pink in her lips even if she never used any make-up. He remembered how a pearl-drop earring replaced a golden one. He remembered her black hair, which turned to dark chocolate with the sun. But most of all, he remembered a wide smile, a cheerful one.

Someone was calling him distantly, but that voice didn't mattered, that voice confused him. Was that voice even saying his name? Or was it calling someone else? Who was 'he'? Was 'he' himself, or was 'he' someone else?

A strand of golden hair appeared in his line of vision. Blond hair? He remembered blond hair, but was it his, or somebody else's?

Name, he needed a name.

He tried to focus. Green eyes and parted red lips, pink clothes and chestnut hair. He didn't remember those. The green-eyed girl said something, but the screams in his head didn't let him listen to it. He drew closer. _'My name, say my name... Who am I?'_ The pretty eyes widened. Had he done something wrong?

His lips brushed something soft, and he longed to feel it again. The green and red went away and his face fell onto something soft again. A flowery scent filled his nostrils, and something inside of him hurt. Something was screaming at him to stop, something was wrong. What was he doing?

Something was wrong, but this was good. No pain in his body or his mind, just questions. He could live with questions. This voice made his heart be at peace, even if it confused his mind. He liked it. He wanted to keep it close. He had to protect it.

Flowery smell? He remembered that... A girl in the slums, she lived with her mother. He had to go see her. He needed to see her. Had he made it? He was in front of her now. And she was soft and warm. He liked it. Her gentle laugh and smile, her delicate hands on his arm to call his attention. It made his heart calm.

The red made him nervous, the red was too easy to break, and when it breaks, it turns dull and brown, and he didn't like that. But the green was innocent and pure, yet mischievous and playful at the same time. The green was weak and tough while the red was strong and fragile. The green... was easy to understand, easy to get around. He felt released and free with the green. It made him feel strong and capable, needed. The softness beneath him stilled. "... Tifa?"

His heart stopped. A strong pressure settled itself in his chest, tightening his insides and making his heart hurt. He could barely breath, the much needed air filled his lungs in short gasps. It hurt, it hurt so much...

That name. It was important. He knew that name. Pale skin against dark hair, she was made of contrasts. Red, red and blood. He thought she would be dead, but she found him. She saved him.

The lump in her throat let out a single word pass through pink lips. "...Cloud... ?"

His head snapped up. His name. He was Cloud. She would know. She knew him and he knew her.

His head turned to his left and saw the red of the blood, the pale skin of her long legs, the long dark hair framing a beautiful face, usually cheerfully smiling pink lips pressed in a thin line, and... broken eyes.

Not this again. He didn't want to see that again. The blood on her body, the lost look in those expressive orbs... Something inside of him was breaking, until everything went black and the high-pinched noise returned.

He could control his body again and instinctively reared back. When the sound stopped, Cloud was in front of Aerith. He tried to remember.

The monster. They had been fighting against a monster. Cloud vaguely recalled how Tifa had finished it. "Since Tifa finished off the monster, we could setup camp here, but the next town is close and resting in an Inn will be more secure than here. I'm sure you two would prefer to sleep on beds than in the bedrolls after such a long day too, so we should start moving so we can get there before nightfall." Cloud stated and got up.

He looked at Aerith and saw her staring at him in confusion. Cloud looked around and saw Tifa staring at him as well. He was about to ask about it when he caught sight of Tifa's injuries. How could she be so wounded? He had been at her side in battle, he would have protected her...

His brows furrowed while he made his way to her. Cloud inspected her wound. "What... how did that happen?" He crouched at her side and put his hands on her shoulders, making her lie on her back gently despite the girl's weak protests. He held her still. "We have to heal that wound now." He said with a firm tone despite his inner turmoil. Seeing her in that state was making him unusually frantic. Cloud looked over his shoulder. "Aerith, give me your cure materia."

He kept inspecting Tifa's injury. She seemed to have lost a lot of blood, and the wound on her side was still open. They needed to close that one quickly. She was bruised and had some more gashes, but they were superficial, those just needed to be cleaned and she would be okay. He looked at her face, her eyes were closed but she was breathing. Asleep? Or unconscious? Cloud put a hand to her cheek and shook her lightly, but she didn't reacted. Unconscious, then. "Aerith! I need that materia now!"

Cloud started to clean Tifa's wounds while he waited for Aerith to give him the materia. He knew she was better with healing than him, but he wanted, no, needed, to do it. "Cloud, you have it on your shoulder guard!" Aerith's hurried voice sounded from somewhere behind him and Cloud's brows furrowed. He was sure Aerith had the materia. He always remembered who had- He looked at his shoulder and saw the green sphere there. How... ?

He shook his head and dismissed it. At least he could heal Tifa now. He put his hand on her side and focused on the spell, feeling the warmth spread and make its way from his shoulder, to his arm, to his hand, and then it seeped into Tifa. The warm green light focused on her right side, closing and healing the wound. How could this happen? He was supposed to be her knight in shining armor...

Once the cut was closed, he gave the sphere to Aerith and picked Tifa up in his arms. She was still unconscious, and they needed to get somewhere where he could clean her cuts and let her rest properly.

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**A/N**: Now they are heading for Rocket Town. About Tifa's eye color, in Kingdom Hearts and in the official profiles she has red eyes.

I know the beginning of this chapter can be confusing, but that's the intention. R&R, and thanks for reading! And if someone knows more theories, I'll gladly listen them. ^.^


	4. Yoshiyuki

**A/N**: Chapter 4. No romance at all, so no warnings. Just some hints and advancing the plot.

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**Title**: Yoshiyuki

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Cloud left Tifa in Aerith's care when they finally arrived at the next town, even though he preferred to do it himself. After all, Aerith was the healer _and_ the girl. Cloud exited the inn, ready to search for some shops to replenish their emergency supplies and, if possible, get new weapons.

Even if he still had his buster sword, and so far it was performing well, the tough skin and scales from the monsters they had been encountering lately were enough to persuade him to find something with a finer edge.

Looking around the city he noticed a few produce shops, but he decided to leave the produce shopping for a time when the entire group was there. They needed information about Sephiroth's whereabouts and if what he had told them earlier was true, he was heading north, so they needed a way to cross the ocean.

As he looked around, he couldn't help but notice the inclined rocket that gave the city its name. _"A rusty old rocket... Wonder what they'd make something that huge for?"_ Cloud thought to himself as he looked up at it.

"This used to be a Shinra base where they used to launch rockets." Cloud's eyes lowered from the top of the rocket to the old man in front of him. The old man turned his back to Cloud, admiring the imposing mass of steel."You saw the leaning rocket, right? That's Shinra No. 26. It never got off the ground though."

Cloud turned his eyes to the rocket again. "Better ask the Captain about this town. He's the one in charge of it." The old man told Cloud without looking at him.

"Who's the 'Captain'?" The ex-Soldier asked, after he turned fully to towards the villager.

After telling Cloud the story of the city and its 'Captain', the old man turned towards Cloud. "That rusted old rocket is all that remains of Shinra's Space Program." Cloud nodded his thanks for the information and turned around, ready to continue his search for the items and weapons shops.

"Hey kid." The blond turned around mid-step. "Take this with you." The old man gave Cloud what seemed to be a large pole covered by a dark sheet.

"I saw you come in carrying that girl before. You three seemed to have been through a rough time with the monsters around here, and that sword of yours seem to need a good fixing before being able to do serious damage again." True enough, his buster sword had been through better times. The dried blood was starting to rust the blade, and it was in serious need of a good sharpening. "It's not the style you're probably used to, but I think it will help you until you can get your sword in shape again."

Cloud removed the bow keeping the sheet tightly around the gift. As he uncovered it, what seemed to be a large pole turned out to be a katana. As he removed the sword from the sheath, he could read what was engraved into the blade. "Yoshiyuki..."

"That katana was made to protect fallen loved ones. When I saw the state you and your two friends were in when you came here, I remembered this sword."

As Cloud admired the sharp edge of the long sword, the rest of his party arrived in the city.

Barret -as leader of the second party- walked ahead of the rest, his head turning from side to side, keeping an eye for any potential ambush. They were enemies of the almighty Shinra, and he knew better than to let his guard down in a new town.

Still looking around, he spotted Cloud. His rough features warmed for a second before darkening again, realising that who he was searching for wasn't at the blond's side.

"Where's Tifa?" The tall man asked with a frown. The girl was like a daughter and a sister for him. If something happened to her...

Cloud sheltered the sword in the dark fabric again before replying. "She's in the inn with Aerith. They needed some rest."

As the bigger man nodded in understanding, after all his team was tired too, a loud "Finally!" and some following rant about how tiring and difficult the travel from Cosmo Canyon had been told them that Yuffie had arrived too.

With Red and Vincent close behind and Cait Sith already jumping around in front of the inn and waiting for the rest to approach, the group went inside the building to take their much needed rest.

Lying upon the less than comfortable bed of the rented room, Cloud turned around once again. The moonlight shining through the windows lit up Yoshiyuki and the buster sword, both were within easy reach. Now that he had a new sword, he didn't really need to keep the buster sword anymore. Now he had a better one, and he would probably find even better swords along the way to Sephiroth.

Still, he felt strangely uneasy about the idea of not having the buster sword by his side. Maybe he had grown too accustomed to it.

Turning his back to the window, he could see his companions sleeping in the beds next to his. Barret was sprawled out on his bed, Red on the carpeted floor in front of the door with Cait Sith and his giant Mog at one of the corners of the room. Vincent was sleeping on his back. Looking at him, he only needed to cross his arms over his chest and he would look like a real vampire.

They were in the room closer to the stairs while the girls were in the room next to theirs. In case someone attacked them at night, the men would notice before anyone could reach the girl's room.

Turning around again on his bed, Cloud faced the two swords once again. It would be hard to carry both swords around all the time. Deciding he had to do something about it, he got up and picked up both swords. He would have to choose what was better; the mightier sword, or the one he felt more comfortable with.

Cloud exited the inn, buster sword strapped to his back and the sharp katana tightly grasped in his hand.

* * *

**A/N**: Cid... you're avoiding me? I said you would appear in chapter three and you're still not here!

Anyway, the reason this chapter is a bit short is because I wanted to focus on Yoshiyuki and advance the plot a bit. In case no one noticed or didn't get the hints, the reason for giving this importance to the sword will be explained in the next chapter.


	5. Buster Sword

**A/N**: Chapter 5. Clerith, mostly. Faint Cloti if you dig on it, but it's mostly friendship. Oh, and Zerith if you dig on it too.

* * *

**Title**: Buster Sword

..

Yoshiyuki firmly in his left hand and the buster sword in his right, Cloud extended his arms in front of him, looking at both swords.

The pale moonlight made the smooth blade of the katana shine brightly, making the steel look like silver.

The dirt on the broadsword made it look darker than usual, making it look almost black in the night.

As he tested the weights and sharpness of both swords, he heard some steps behind him. Without stopping, Cloud listened carefully. The footsteps were too light to be a man, but too heavy to be a child. Too slow to be Yuffie. He kept listening until a soft tinkling gave him the last clue.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" The blond said without turning around.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Aerith replied with a teasing tone. Staying at a safe distance, the flower girl finally asked. "What are you doing?"

After one more swing, Cloud stopped and drove the buster sword into the ground, making it stay upright and took the katana in both hands. "It will be difficult to move fast while carrying two swords at the same time." He made a familiar swinging motion, testing how the change in weight felt.

The girl stiffened. "You're... I- I thought the buster sword was powerful enough."

Cloud kept doing his testing, not looking at her. "The monsters are getting tougher as we get closer to Sephiroth. Everyone has found a better weapon already, even you got a new one at Gongaga."

Aerith approached the sword stuck in the ground, placing a hand on it and nodded. It was true that they needed better equipment, but still... "We could just try to apply a 'mini' spell on the sword. That way you could still carry it."

"It would be better to just sell it." The girl's eyes widened at the blue-eyed man's comment. "We could use the money to get a bigger tent and buy more supplies." The man kept suggesting, not noticing the shocked look on the girl's emerald eyes. "It would be nice to not have to worry about the gil for some time. We all could use a decent meal instead of rations for once."

A few more slashes, and Cloud put aside the Yoshiyuki and approached the buster sword. "I guess we can't complain about the food though. Thanks to Tifa we've been able to eat decently so far." The girl nodded and lowered her face. As Cloud grabbed the hilt of the sword, Aerith grabbed onto it more tightly. He looked at her, but she kept her face lowered.

"I don't mind a small tent. And Tifa is a great cook, even if it's rations, they are still tasty." The flower girl said, her ripped dress and her hair swayed gently around her.

Cloud let out a small chuckle. "I'm sure you'll want to buy a new dress soon."

She grabbed onto the sword and didn't let go. "It's okay, it's not too ripped." Aerith replied, shaking her head even as the cold night air was making her shiver. "No one has been able to buy new clothes, and if Tifa can handle the cold I should be able too." She finished with a small chuckle.

Cloud turned around, grabbing the dark sheet that covered Yoshiyuki and offered it to Aerith. When she just stared at it, not knowing what he meant with the gesture, he approached her, wrapping the fabric over her shoulders and covering her as much as possible. "Tifa is tough. She can handle almost anything by herself." He said while adjusting the fabric. "You shouldn't be comparing yourself to her."

"You're saying that I'm not tough, hmm?" She replied with a teasing smirk, still thankful for the improvised cape that was currently keeping her warm.

Cloud shook his head. "You can rely on me to take care of you." He said before picking up the buster sword, the girl's hands finally letting go of the sword, and he sat on the ground.

Aerith looked at him, shocked by the blond's words. No playful tone, no smile, just pure honesty. He took a rag from one of his pockets and rubbed it fiercely along the blade of the sword, cleaning most of the dirt and dried blood from it. Of course, if he wanted to get some money from it, he would have to give it a tune up.

The flower girl stood by Cloud's side as he worked, watching as the sword gradually returned to its former, bright and impressive state, the one she remembered too well.

"Don't sell it." Aerith pleaded as tears formed in her eyes. The blond's head rose to look at her while she kneeled on the ground at his side, placing a hand on the now smooth blade. "If we need money I'll think of something, but please, don't sell the sword."

The simple thought of someone else but Cloud carrying the buster sword made her feel sick. It was too important, too personal to let anyone else touch it.

"I won't." Cloud answered simply, putting an arm around her and drawing the girl towards him, embracing her when the first and only tear escaped her eyes. "... I won't." He reassured her, keeping his embrace gentle, the buster sword between them.

The next day, as everyone gathered outside the inn, Cloud instructed the party to gather the things they wouldn't need for the moment. As everyone gave him the armlets, accessories and protectors they didn't have stored, Aerith took her Fairy Tale and tried to use the mini spell.

Everyone watched in awe how all the equipment shrank enough to fit in one single backpack.

"It worked!" Aerith claimed, happy that once again she had been able to help.

Tifa grabbed the backpack and tested the weigh. "It's not too heavy. I can carry it alongside my own, no problem." She stated with a smile after praising Aerith for her idea. Cloud was about to protest when the green-eyed girl's voice beat him to.

"Can I carry it?" Everyone turned to the flower girl, the unexpected comment making them stare at her. "Tifa is already carrying my things in her backpack, and she's still recovering from-"

Before she could finish explaining herself, Cloud took the bag from Tifa and threw it over his shoulder, not leaving room for anyone to argue. "I'll carry it." And with that, the group split up again, searching for a way to cross the ocean so they could continue moving north. The buster sword remained on Cloud's back, even if now it was minimized and in a backpack.

As Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa started to move again, the black-haired girl looked at the blond's back and froze. "... Cloud?" She called with a small voice. He turned around, eyes locked on hers. "Where's your sword?"

"I got this one yesterday from a villager. The buster sword is in the backpack now. Something wrong?" He asked, curious upon Tifa's question. Of course he guessed she was used to seeing him with the massive sword, but he had been changing his other battle items and she never commented upon them.

She shook her head. "... No, nothing." As she looked at the large katana again, a sick feeling ran through her. Visions of long silver hair replaced blond spikes and she shuddered again.

Aerith and Cloud approached her, worried by her strange behaviour. "Maybe you should stay in bed, you're still too pale." The green-eyed girl told her friend.

"I'm fine..." Tifa waved a hand in dismissal. "I can handle myself, don't worry." She assured her companions when Aerith frowned. "I just... didn't know you could wield a katana." Tifa told to her childhood friend.

Cloud nodded. "I tried it last night and I can use it like the buster sword. I just have to take into consideration the lighter weight and quicker swing speed."

The red-eyed girl nodded and started to walk. "So where do we go now? We still have to find a boat or something if we want to cross the ocean."

As they looked around, they spotted what seemed to be a small plane in a backyard of one of the houses in the town.

"There's a Shinra logo on it. Tiny Bronco... This is cool." Cloud commented as he approached the fence around the plane.

"Um... may I help you?" A woman dressed in a white coat appeared from the house. "...If you would like to use it, please ask the Captain. He should be in the Rocket." After presenting herself as Shera and telling them about the Space Program and Rufus' imminent visit, the team decided that their best shot was to go meet this all too famous Captain and try to convince him to let them borrow the plane. Or take it anyway if he didn't cooperate.

The higher they climbed up the rocket, the more the faint smell of rust and smoke filled Cloud's nostrils.

"What're you guys doin' here?" A gruff voice called from inside the rocket. As Cloud walked through the rocket's entrance, a man with blond, almost grey, hair and with a cigarette in his mouth stared at him.

"We heard the Captain was here." Cloud answered.

"Captain? I'm the Captain!" The man proudly claimed. "The name's Cid. Everyone calls me, 'Captain,' though." The man let out a puff from his smoke. "What d'ya want?"

* * *

**A/N**: Never, EVER again am I gonna say anything about Cid. In the two stories I've made him appear, in both he appears late. That man's punctuality is horrible.


End file.
